Introduction

Do you sing in the shower? Strange question or not, I always thought everyone did! I believed it was just as normal as pressing play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward when listening to music. But here in Lviv, Ukraine, people seem quite divided on this. Personally, I can’t imagine a world without singing in the shower—or music in general.

Music Vocabulary...

Speaking of music—have you ever been to a gig? How close were you to the stage? Maybe you were right in front of the frontman, close enough to smell the sweat, or perhaps you were too busy jumping around in the mosh pit to notice what the band was doing. And what about the support act? Were they any good, or were they terrible? Sometimes the support act is an up-and-coming band that becomes famous later.

The sound can be great or terrible depending on the venue. Some venues have amazing acoustics, while others are awful. Or maybe you’ve never been to a gig because every time you try to buy tickets, they're already sold out. Then the only option is to go to a tout, but their prices are sky-high.

When someone says they aren’t really into music, it always surprises me. Music brings out so much emotion. Many people put on their headphones or earphones and listen to their favourite tracks at the gym. Some people play a whole album, others choose a single, and some scroll through a playlist of mixed songs. If you ever need motivation, try the Rocky IV soundtrack—especially the classic theme song “Eye of the Tiger.”

It’s almost impossible to choose a favourite band because there is so much good music out there. But we all know which genres we don’t like. Even if you’re not a fan of pop music, a song can still be so catchy that it stays in your head all day. And no matter what we listen to on our phones, we can’t control what comes on the jukebox. You might be unlucky and hear a one-hit-wonder like “Barbie Girl” again and again—or a terrible cover of one of your favourite songs!

These days I rarely listen to the radio. I usually listen to music on YouTube where songs aren’t censored, I can read the lyrics, or I can watch the music video. MTV in the UK doesn’t show music videos anymore, which is a shame.

As I write this, I’m listening to “Come Back to Me” by Liam Gallagher. He was the frontman of Oasis—one of my favourite bands. This single is from his first solo album, which came out late last year. I’m happy to say it’s pretty good and definitely not a flop.